September 17, 2010 |

Today marks a new beginning for WNST’s Friday format during football season. And, trust me, it will indeed be something totally out of the ordinary for me in this infancy of my foray into sports talk radio.

Fridays may never be the same …..

On each and every PURPLE FRIDAY, I will be joined by Nestor, as we present the FRIDAY FOOTBALL FRENZY brought to you by Guinness. Of course, this means plenty of discussion regarding this city’s dominant sports interest, the Baltimore Ravens.

That said, it most likely guarantees a generous amount of debating and arguing, at times. Ahh …. this could be a very entertaining reality.

While both of us certainly share the same love for Baltimore and a desire to see the Ravens (and Orioles) dominate the competition, we’ve been known to have differing views on the best way to accomplish some things. That’s the beauty in discussing sports and other topics, right?

I’ve come to believe that most on-air tandems agree to take separate sides of an issue for an overall encompassing perspective of the subject. You can see it each morning when Skip Bayless debates a “stiff of the day” on the World Wide Leader.

In essence, it’s choreographed. Those debates are as staged as anything conceived by Vince McMahon, himself.

Nestor and I won’t be doing that. We’re both too stubborn and opinionated to fake it. If it sounds like we disagree on something, you can bet we really do …..

I’ve been looking forward to this opportunity for weeks. He’ll make it fun. I’ll make it fun. And, we’ll both make it interesting.

If you haven’t already read Nestor’s blog, check it out. It’s a thorough piece and straight from the heart. In a roundabout way, I think his blog is representative of what we’ll bring to the listener, each Friday.

Of course, our conversations will be more directly tied to the National Football League, with specific attention to the Ravens and their weekly opponent. However, Nestor’s blog topic of “Women In The Locker Room” could spark one of our famous debates.

As I said earlier, we both want the same result. In this case, it’s a professional, knowledgable, ethical standard among those who interact with athletes for the purpose of informing the consumer.

However, we might have differing opinions on attaining such a prospective reality. I look at athletes like Clinton Portis and Lance Briggs, who’ve mouthed off about women in the locker room and I think they’ve spurred the opportunity for a CHOICE among players.

Think about it …..

What if the players had a voice in deciding how post-game interviews would be conducted, and more importantly, where they would be conducted? They could choose between the following considerations …..

A) All reporters will be forbidden from the locker room, until players are showered and dressed. However, upon dressing, players MUST remain in the locker room for a mutually agreeable amount of time (30 minutes ???) to answer questions of credentialed media.

B) Continue with the same practice that exists now.

I would bet an entire month’s pay that the players would overwhelmingly select (B). Why? That’s easy ….. people always choose convenience over principle. While some players have voiced their opposition to the current practice, especially as it regards females in the locker room, I’m not swayed to believe they would be agreeable to a procedure that absorbs their otherwise free time.

Over the last few days, some listeners have inquired about the practices regarding male reporters in the locker rooms of female athletes. Consider the WNBA, as an example. Their process mirrors option (A). WNBA locker rooms are closed until players are dressed, at which point ALL reporters are allowed access.

And, if such a process did take place, participation cannot simply be voluntary on part of the players. You know, I know and everyone else knows very few of them will stick around if they’re given the option to leave and have dinner or a few drinks. Say what you will, but the NFL depends on their players to market and promote the game ON and OFF the field.

To be blunt, access cannot be denied based on gender. We live in a nation based on equality among classes of citizens. If access is going to be denied based on past misconduct or incompetence, that’s fine. But, access cannot be denied based on gender, period.

Oh well, that’s my take on the topic. Hopefully, Nestor reads this blog and we’ll have a spirited little discussion today. But, as I said, we still ultimately want the same end result.

I’m really looking forward to today’s show, and EVERY Friday thru football season. We’re gonna bring it hard and provide the best Ravens coverage during your afternoon drive.